巧遇老布什總統夫婦

十幾年前，當那個小布什總統還是白宮的主人的時候，聖誕節之前的一天，我和泰迪到我們家附近的“巴恩斯與貴族”書店去買節日賀卡和禮物。記得那是午後，書店裏很安靜，隻有幾位顧客。趁著泰迪去挑選賀卡，我沿著一遛書架閑逛，看什麽能吸引我的眼球。走到底後，我轉過身來，走向收款台。忽然，我看到一個身著黑衣、高大、壯碩的男子，站在書架過道的另一端，雙臂交叉在胸前。


“發生什麽事了？”我問自己。“怎麽會有警察在這裏？” 好像沒有聽到警笛聲，書店裏也沒有任何混亂。


附近有兩個女士，顯然也停了下來，看著什麽。我沿著她們的視線掃過去，看到收款台那兒有一對老夫婦，衣著普通，跟德克薩斯任何地方的老爺爺、老奶奶一樣。但是他們的麵孔看上去很熟悉，像許多年以前我在電視上看到的那樣。他們就是芭芭拉和喬治H.W.布什，美國第41任第一夫人和總統。著黑衣的男子顯然是保護前總統及其家屬的秘密警局的保鏢。


這對老夫婦看起來很愉快，身體也很健康，但是背部也有一點兒曲線了。他們買了一些小東西，還與收銀員聊了一會兒。


當布什夫婦忙著買東西的時候，我和泰迪，還有我們的顧客同伴，站在自己的地方，帶著微笑和欽佩從遠處望著他們，直到他們買完東西離開書店。我們走出書店的時候，還看到兩輛黑色的大型郊區式汽車，一前一後離去。


周二晚上當我聽到芭芭拉*布什逝世的消息時，心裏很難過，卻也充滿了對她的欽佩。她的親人、朋友和新聞記者把她描繪成布什王朝或者德克薩斯王朝的女族長，一位充滿愛心和忠誠的妻子、母親和奶奶，一生致力於培養美國成人和家庭讀書識字的能力。


但在我的腦海裏，她永遠是我在書店裏見到的那位可愛的德克薩斯老奶奶。

-- My encounter with old Bush couple --

More than ten years ago, the 43^rd was still the host of the White House. One day before Christmas, Ted and I went to our neighborhood Barnes & Nobles to get holiday cards and gifts. It was early afternoon, and the store was quiet. There were only a handful of shoppers around. I browsed the aisles for books and gifts that might attract my eyes while Ted was picking up holiday cards. Then I turned from the end of the aisle and walked toward the cashier. Suddenly, I saw a tall guy in a black suit standing down the aisle with his arms crossed in front of his chest.

“What’s wrong?” I asked myself. “Something happened? Police are here.” I did not hear any siren and saw no chaos around.

There were one or two lady shoppers nearby, who apparently stopped and stood watching. In the direction they were looking, it was the cashier. I saw an old couple, who dressed in ordinary clothes like any grandma and grandpa in Texas, with familiar faces I saw on TV many years ago. They were Barbara and George H.W. Bush, the nation’s 41^st first lady and president. The men in black apparently were secret services agents protecting ex-presidents and their families.

The old couple looked quite pleasant and was in a great shape, but their backs showed some curve. They picked some small items and chatted with the cashiers a bit.

While the Bush couple was doing their business, my fellow shoppers, like me and Ted, stood at the same place watching them with smiles and admiration until they finished their shopping. When we walked out of the store, I saw two black and large suburban-like cars speed away.  

When I heard the passing of Grandma Barbara Bush Tuesday evening, my heart was filled with sadness and yet great admiration. Her relatives, close friends, and news media pictured her as a matriarch of the Bush dynasty or Texas dynasty, who was a loving and devoted wife, mother and grandma. She dedicated her life to adult and family literacy.

But in my mind, I always remember her as that down to earth grandma I encountered in the book store.